Post-hardcore band A Lot Like Birds recently played at Fitzgerald’s touring behind the momentum of their new album “No Place,” supported by The Venetia Fair, Stolas and Sianvar. The Daily Cougar spoke with guitarist Michael Franzino about their album and tour.
The Daily Cougar: What inspired “No Place”?
Michael Franzino: We spent the last two years before “No Place” touring, which meant we had no home in general, leading to reflection about what home means, or the lack of home. We decided we wanted to do a concept record.
TDC: How did you go about writing it?
MF: I would talk to (vocalist) Cory (Lockwood) for hours and hours about the dynamics of the rooms. I knew the closet was going to be about childhood. I tried to capture that nostalgic feeling. There was a lot of talk with Cory before I would write. This time I was writing to their ideas. It was difficult and interesting in a good way. I knew Cory wanted the living room to start in a good way but to devolve into melancholy. No one actually lives in a living room.
TDC: Did you do anything differently, actively or not, in recording “No Place” than you did with your previous album, “Conversation Piece”?
MF: A kid once said online, “I feel like they reeled people in with a catchy record and did what they wanted with the second.” We had just got (vocalist) Kurt (Travis) (when we recorded “Conversation Piece”), so it became more vocally oriented, and it was our first time writing under pressure. It wasn’t as focused as we would have liked. We had a lot less time with “No Place” to hone it into a collection of ideas, but knew how to better use it.
TDC: Anything else you want to get out?
MF: Listen to Hail the Sun, Stolas, Sianvar, I the Mighty, Speed of Sound in Seawater and Exotic Animal Petting Zoo. We have a community going that we’re trying to build. It’s hard to get tours when you’re too weird for the heavy and too heavy for the weird. We’re stuck in the middle.
great interview! Mikey is a genius and so is the rest of the band!